Happy New Year (from the Slacker)!

We had a wonderful Christmas in Berlin with our South African friends! Although I really wanted a white Christmas, that did not happen. We arrived in Berlin on the 22nd with some snow on the ground. Unfortunately, the next day it rained and washed away almost all of the snow. It is, however, possible to have a merry Christmas without snow. We had a very enjoyable time decorating the house with the Clarks and enjoying company for a Christmas lunch/dinner.

Happily, about a week after we arrived, it decided to snow! It snowed most of the day. So, at about midnight, we all decided to take some sled saucers to a park in Priesterweg and go sledding! It was a blast! At one point we had a train of 6 people going down the long hill. It was possibly the most fun sledding I've ever had. And, to top it all off, it snowed several days after that. When we left Berlin two weeks after our arrival, it was still snowing. :)

It even snowed on New Year's Eve. We had purchased some fireworks at the store. Fortunately, the Clarks have a huge triangle at the end of their street with plenty of space for lighting fireworks. We lit fireworks you'd never be able to light in the States (unless you live in Wyoming). We had Roman candles, rockets, and huge batteries. Now, if it had only been a bit warmer...

People across the street were lighting fireworks on their balcony. Maybe it's my Utah upbringing that has sheltered me from risky fireworks, or the fact that someone in our ward growing up had their house lit on fire by a bottle rocket, (or maybe I'm just getting old), but I honestly thought these people were crazy! Sparklers are one thing, but they were also lighting ground fireworks on their balcony. I guess, to be fair, there was no chance of lighting a spinning ground firework in the snow, but who lights fireworks on their balcony?!?!

At any rate, we brought in the new year very happily. So, Happy New Year to everyone!